Oscars 2014 Contenders: 25 films to watch for
Should George Clooney start staking out another spot on the mantle?
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The engravings on Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov's Best Picture Oscars for "Argo" are still fresh and already the gears are spinning across the net on what to expect in the film awards season next year. Of course we were going to pile on.
I remember a time when year-in-advance Oscar speculation boiled down to just a handful of eager beaver outlets (this one included). Now the LA Times, IndieWire, you name it, everyone's putting that early bird finger to the wind. And no shock, everyone's turning out similar lists.
Indeed, the old standbys are pretty much, well, stood by when it comes to this kind of thing. Oscar bait, pedigree, a pinch of buzz and voila, you have a set of films to look out for. But beware the pretenders. Remember "Amelia?" How about "The Shipping News?" And here's one for you: "Pay It Forward." Yes, there are as many seemingly awards-ish titles waiting to fall off that pedestal as there are those waiting to live up to the expectation. And for those recipes that turn out a tasty Oscar soufflé, dominance isn't always a given. Just look at something like "Les Misérables" or "Lincoln" this year.
From our perch here, it's fair to say there is a healthy slate of possibilities on the horizon. Studios like Paramount, Warner Bros. and The Weinstein Company are already filling out their stables, while there are, as ever, plenty of films waiting to find a home that could figure into the equation as well. And as Clooney finds a place for his latest Academy Award, he might want to start staking out a potential spot for another one next year. Just in case.
But let's save the serious predictions for a future date, shall we? For now, here are 25 films we think you might want to keep an eye on as we make our slow crawl to the 2013-2014 film awards season.
Click through the gallery below for more (and feel free to add any other films you think ought to be considered in the comments section below).
2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupJonnybon
February 28, 2013 at 7:51AM EST Reply to CommentWell, it definitely looks nice on paper.
Kristopher Tapley Exactly.
February 28, 2013 at 3:06PM ESTAaron McMahon
February 28, 2013 at 8:36AM EST Reply to CommentMy only prediction is that DiCaprio will finally win for Wolf of Wall Street. I suspected he wasn't nominated for Django because the Academy didn't want a huge star winning for Best Supporting Actor.
Sergiu37 They didn't have a problem with Cristian Bale or George Clooney among others thought.
February 28, 2013 at 9:07AM ESTGuy Lodge Yeah, that's not really how they think. It's more likely that he wasn't nominated for Django because of internal competition -- when a film boasts three strong Supporting Actor contenders, the odds are against things working out for everyone.
February 28, 2013 at 9:36AM ESTAaron McMahon Clooney and Bale were first time nominees. I had trouble buying DiCaprio winning for a supporting performance.
February 28, 2013 at 10:14AM ESTI think there's some evidence of star bias especially in category fraud most recently Hallie Steinfeld.
Guy Lodge They seemed okay with Anne Hathaway winning Best Supporting Actress.
February 28, 2013 at 10:45AM ESTAaron McMahon It's not a super well made theory, but Hathaway is not in the same class as DiCaprio.
February 28, 2013 at 10:59AM ESTDiCaprio only works with the A-list of A-list directors: Scorsese, Nolan, Spielberg, Tarantino. It says something when it's considered him slumming when working with Ridley Scott and Baz Lurhmann.
He's also one of the few actors that's still a big box office draw.
Anne Hathaway still does stuff like Valentine's Day and Rio.
velocityknown My theory DiCaprio didn't get nominated because the Academy is still too conservative to admit that they full out loved the film in spite of its graphic content. So they nominated the guy who had the least offensive role in the film: Christoph Waltz.
February 28, 2013 at 12:03PM ESTLiz They were afraid to admit that they loved the film because of its graphic content, and yet they awarded the screenplay (and therefore Tarantino himself)? That makes no sense.
February 28, 2013 at 12:26PM ESTvelocityknown Original Screenplay has long been the category of awarding and nominating films they won't give Best Picture or other larger awards to. Another good example: Pulp Fiction in 1994. The most well-regarded and remembered film of that year. Best Original Screenplay went to Tarantino, but what won Best Picture? Forrest Gump.
February 28, 2013 at 12:36PM ESTI'm not saying it's logical, but the Academy often operates without much logic, no?
Liz If you're saying that they wanted to spread the awards around by honoring Django in some categories but not the others, that's one thing. I can see that, although I tend to not put much stock in theories that require voters to act as a single, monolithic body. But what you were originally saying was that they were afraid to honor the film because of its content, so they awarded...the content. Surely you see how that's not the same as saying that they spread the awards around.
February 28, 2013 at 12:45PM ESTWhere are all these strange theories about Django coming from, anyway? Are they so much more likely than the idea of the Academy awarding the parts they liked best (the screenplay and Waltz) and not awarding the parts they didn't think were best? Remember the KISS principle, people.
LaHaine 'AARON MCMAHON' and 'VELOCITYKNOWN' seriously need to work on their weak "theories". Guy and Liz pretty much said it right.
February 28, 2013 at 1:02PM ESTwl My god, I felt like I was caught in a whirlwind of stupid in this thread.
February 28, 2013 at 1:08PM ESTvelocityknown I'm not disagreeing with anything Guy is saying. I'm simply stating that voters will give films like Argo and Forrest Gump Best Picture because it's safe. They're not making any polarizing statement by awarding those films, like they could potentially do with a film like Django or Pulp Fiction. To compensate (for the audience and to make themselves feel more contemporary), they give them mid-sized awards like Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.
February 28, 2013 at 1:32PM ESTAlso consider that not only was Waltz not the strongest supporting actor in Django, he wasn't even the strongest supporting actor in that category. Every other actor, with the exception of Arkin, were better in their films than Waltz was in Django. That is the Academy giving awards to a film that they liked, but won't give Best Picture to because it'd be too controversial a choice. Picking them for awards like Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay let them feel like they're contemporary enough to like the movie without actually saying they liked it the best.
It's not about what they liked and didn't like about the movie, they very clearly liked the movie, it's just too controversial to ever give Best Picture too and that's how they feel and that's why Argo won. I'm not disparaging Argo, I think it's a good film, but Django is a better, more memorable, and important film.
JJ1 Now, I say this while acknowledging that Christoph Waltz and Jackie Weaver are very talented. Id give Waltz the win for IB. And I nommed Weaver for Animal Kingdom.
February 28, 2013 at 1:55PM ESTThat said, I feel like the win for Waltz this year and the nom for Jackie Weaver has more to do with them being charming, likeable people that members of the Academy gravitate towards, and not because they gave Oscar winning or even nomination-worthy performances. They were very good. But I think there were other actors worthy of the nom/win.
And not to beat a dead horse, but I definitely considered Waltz co-lead, anyway.
Liz The problem here appears to be that you don't understand how anyone could disagree with you about Django's merits. There is no objective measure of what was best in each category. Like this:
February 28, 2013 at 1:57PM EST"Also consider that not only was Waltz not the strongest supporting actor in Django, he wasn't even the strongest supporting actor in that category....That is the Academy giving awards to a film that they liked, but won't give Best Picture to because it'd be too controversial a choice."
Believe it or not, lots of people genuinely feel differently. I know Guy has mentioned that Waltz was the standout in the film for him. And it's perfectly reasonable for people to vote for the screenplay, thinking it a strong piece of writing, without voting for the movie. Again, there are plenty of people out there who think the movie wasn't as good as Tarantino's previous ones. That his direction was more scattershot than usual, that the editing wasn't as tight as it could have been, etc.
"It's not about what they liked and didn't like about the movie"
Good grief. That is exactly what it's about! They liked some parts more than others. I'm not really getting why you don't think that's possible. That's exactly why the Oscars have categories for different parts of a film, not just one "Best Movie" category.
You didn't think Christoph Waltz was the best actor in the movie, and they did. You thought it was the best movie in the Best Picture, and they didn't. Why do you think those two statements aren't an accurate description of what happened with the categories?
Kristopher Tapley He also didn't get a nod for Django because he pretty much did zero campaigning, partly because he was in New York shooting "Wolf."
February 28, 2013 at 3:07PM ESTvelocityknown Once again, Liz, I don't think I've ever said that I don't understand how anyone could disagree with me. I'm simply theorizing. Theories are theories. They are not me stating fact and I have not said that they are. I think what I've said along with things that Kris and Guy have said could add up to be the reason for why Waltz got the nomination and won.
February 28, 2013 at 3:25PM ESTI never said that other things are wrong, I just said: This is my theory. That is my theory and if you don't agree with it, that's fine, I'm not telling you that you have to and I'm not saying that your theory is wrong.
"Good grief. That is exactly what it's about! They liked some parts more than others."
That's fair, but the Academy has a long history of not operating on that simple of a level. Like this year, they liked the editing, acting, and screenplay of Argo enough to award them in two out of those three categories plus Best Picture, but they didn't feel that the directing was good enough to nominate Affleck? That's just Academy politics, campaign quality, and whatever else goes into this silly process. One Academy member said he wouldn't vote for Quvenzhané Wallis because her name was too difficult to pronounce and another said they wouldn't vote for Zero Dark Thirty because it shined a favorable light on torture. Therefore, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that they would award Christoph Waltz an award for Django because they wanted to give the movie some due, but not all of it.
And as I've said, I never said, "This is %100 what happened and anyone who disagrees is wrong!" I said, "My theory is..." (I didn't say "is", but, you know, typo). If you disagree that's fine, but don't paint me as someone who is saying that no other theory is plausible and that I'm being overly disagreeable. Because I agree with what both Guy and Kris have said, I just happen to think that my theory factors in as well and I think that's fair.
Aaron McMahon I don't think it's too out of line to say that Hollywood thinks of stars and character actors differently. They called BS on Kate Winslet being supporting in The Reader but let Waltz and Steinfeld slide.
February 28, 2013 at 7:16PM ESTBut DiCaprio's gonna win it for Wolf.
Guy Lodge "Also consider that not only was Waltz not the strongest supporting actor in Django, he wasn't even the strongest supporting actor in that category. Every other actor, with the exception of Arkin, were better in their films than Waltz was in Django."
February 28, 2013 at 8:28PM ESTHow am I supposed to consider that if I completely disagree? You can't state your own opinion as a theoretical factor.
velocityknown That was poorly phrased and I apologize for that. Allow me to rephrase: I think that many people and pundits felt that Waltz wasn't even the strongest supporting actor in his own film (which is why I kind of generalized, unfortunately) which is why his initial nomination came as a surprise and why I think his win is a signal that the Academy wanted to award a film they felt was edgy and contemporary through an actor they've awarded before, and like a lot, while still giving the biggest award to a safe, non-controversial picture about how Hollywood saved the day.
March 1, 2013 at 11:45AM ESTNo one here, or very many places, even expected Waltz to be nominated and I know that's not necessarily reflective of how anyone felt about the movie, I just think that that points to the Academy giving him an award based on wanting to award the movie rather than awarding him for giving the best supporting performance.
Sorry that I was unable to clarify that in an appropriate way the initial go-around.
The Dude Waltz initial nomination was a surprise to no one that I know of.
March 2, 2013 at 2:21PM ESTAnd that's because his performance was clearly the most acclaimed of the three Django "supporting" performances (not that I think Waltz is supporting myself), the one that was winning and getting nominations for more awards.
Even the HPFA, the most star-struck institution on the planet, gave him Best Supporting Actor over Di Caprio.
JJ1 True. if Dicaprio couldnt win at the globes, but a fellow nom from his own movie could ...then that def was something.
March 2, 2013 at 9:27PM ESTAaron McMahon Man I wish I had disabled the notifications from hitfix after each reply
March 3, 2013 at 12:37AM ESTAndrej
February 28, 2013 at 9:50AM EST Reply to CommentIf anything, I'd bet on a Costume Design nod for Grace of Monaco. That Hollywood-to-Royalty storyline looks like the stuff of dreams for the branch, regardless how the movie pans out critically.
LaHaine Hmm cool call, think I would bet costume design for Great Gatsby
February 28, 2013 at 1:04PM ESTJJ1 As of now, Gatsby looks like a potential production design, costume, maybe even visual effects nomination-like movie - if not more.
February 28, 2013 at 1:56PM ESTmsd Yep, Catherine Martin has been nominated for every Luhrmann film since R+J in '97. Even if Gatsby isn't contending for the big awards, a la Australia, it's a pretty safe bet for costume and pd nominations.
February 28, 2013 at 4:01PM ESTLiz
February 28, 2013 at 9:59AM EST Reply to CommentUgh, "Pay It Forward." Why did you have to remind me?
Sue I love Pay It Forward, to each his own.
March 5, 2013 at 8:44PM ESTLiz
February 28, 2013 at 10:14AM EST Reply to CommentI'd be a lot more excited about "Serena" if it wasn't being directed by Susanne Bier, who has a knack for taking interesting material and somehow removing whatever made it interesting in the first place. I have a copy of the novel, so I'll probably read that first.
RG
February 28, 2013 at 10:33AM EST Reply to CommentFYI, Tracy Letts is a man
Sawyer
February 28, 2013 at 11:08AM EST Reply to CommentUmmm, The Butler? IMO, fighting with August: Osage County for presumed frontrunner.
Kristopher Tapley I don't think anyone's trying to be definitive in February, FYI. "The Butler" was considered before narrowing it down. So far we have Shadowboxer, Precious and The Paperboy from Daniels. So, hmm....
February 28, 2013 at 3:09PM ESTSawyer I get what you're saying Kris, and Daniels could be starting a downward trend, although The Paperboy had its champions. But it's a Weinstein property, and it's full of stars. If we're going to make lists like 25 to watch, this one has to be near the top, IMHO. But great list otherwise.
February 28, 2013 at 3:19PM ESTSawyer At least I thought it was Weinstein. Maybe not.
February 28, 2013 at 3:22PM ESTKristopher Tapley Weinstein has a ton of properties, as ever. Their shtick is throw it all at the wall and see what sticks. The question then becomes, will "The Butler" stick. I guess we'll see. ("The Paperboy" sure had stars, too.)
February 28, 2013 at 4:00PM ESTSawyer
February 28, 2013 at 11:12AM EST Reply to CommentI would also include Her, Elysium, and Lowlife in the 25 to watch for.
Kristopher Tapley Lowlife has been reitled Nightingale, FYI. It's also been sitting on a shelf for a while, which is never a great sign.
February 28, 2013 at 3:09PM ESTKristopher Tapley *retitled
February 28, 2013 at 3:10PM ESTSawyer Thanks. I'm a James Gray fan, and I keep hoping each new movie will be the one he gets awards traction for.
February 28, 2013 at 3:21PM ESTThe Dude Well, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford also stayed on the shelf for a while too, because they didn't really know how to sell it. Maybe that's the case here?
March 2, 2013 at 2:32PM ESTKristopher Tapley Maybe.
March 3, 2013 at 2:34AM ESTAaron McMahon
February 28, 2013 at 11:17AM EST Reply to CommentAnimated Feature looks pretty dry this year (at least for the American films).
Disney's Frozen looks like it'll probably be the frontrunner. Dreamworks' Turbo might be cute.
Will probably see Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University along with the rest of America though I doubt their winning chances.
murphy I wouldn't count out Blue Sky's visually impressive "Epic." But you're right, the animation category this year might be a little slim.
February 28, 2013 at 12:21PM ESTAaron McMahon Oh yeah I just rewatched the trailer for Epic. The cinematography should be great in 3D. Probably the frontrunner based on trailers.
February 28, 2013 at 7:10PM ESTThe posters on the local movie theater made it look like Avatar the Animated Series.
LaHaine Studio Ghibli has 2 films coming out this year. Miyazaki's "The Wind is Rising" and "The Tale of Princess Kaguya". So I would watch out for those
March 1, 2013 at 6:38PM ESTDavid D.
February 28, 2013 at 11:22AM EST Reply to CommentConsidering that "District 9" got a Best Picture nomination, and that Matt Damon has already said that Neil Blomkamp is one of the best directors he's ever worked with, I'm surprised that "Elysium" isn't on here. Or is it already perceived as too much of a popcorn movie to be considered?
Sawyer If it's good, I see a big Supporting Actress push for Jodie.
February 28, 2013 at 11:57AM ESTvelocityknown I do think it is something that'll definitely be considered, but it's also sci-fi. And we all know how the Academy feels about sci-fi.
February 28, 2013 at 12:37PM ESTvelocityknown
February 28, 2013 at 12:03PM EST Reply to CommentDaniel Bruhl is in everything. Following in Fassbender's footsteps?
Kate
February 28, 2013 at 1:32PM EST Reply to CommentGravity and Before Midnight are at the top of my most anticipated.
Foxcatcher sounds really, really interesting, and I'm intrigued by the unusual cast. I think Carell probably does have the chops for this.
I have no confidence in the Lady Di/Grace of Monaco movies.
The Counselor is going to be divisive at best or the year's biggest awards-bait hot mess at worst. The plotting for that movie is more incoherent than Prometheus. But Diaz does have a killer, killer role. Sadly, Fassbender has the least interesting, most passive part in the entire script.
I'm really excited for Chiwetel Ejiofor to get the attention he deserves. And early test screening reactions have been really positive about him and MF.
Liz I agree with you about the Diana/Grace movies. I think they both have "Hyde Park on Hudson" written all over them.
February 28, 2013 at 2:02PM ESTI've also heard similar to what you said about Diz's role in "The Counselor." If she can pull it off, she could be a major player in supporting actress. (Right? Not a lead?)
Aaron I feel like the Academy is just not into Cameron Diaz. Even when she has compelling, interesting roles where she delivers (Vanilla Sky, Being John Malkovich), they always ignore her. But we shall see. I have heard as well that her part is crazy good. At the very least, it's good that she's finally challenging herself again after a decade of dreck.
February 28, 2013 at 11:50PM ESTBrian
February 28, 2013 at 1:37PM EST Reply to CommentAny consideration of Only God Forgives from director Nicolas Winding Refn? I'm pretty excited for that one. I know the Academy ignored the excellent Drive in 2011, but maybe they'll come around on him this time?
Kate No, since it's even more AMPAS-unfriendly than Drive.
February 28, 2013 at 1:43PM ESTBrian So is Tarantino the only guy that can get a violent movie nominated at the Oscars?
February 28, 2013 at 1:46PM ESTKate No, but I wasn't referring just to violence.
February 28, 2013 at 1:56PM ESTPaul Outlaw Scorsese can, and did. And won.
February 28, 2013 at 3:02PM ESTKristopher Tapley Was considered, yes.
February 28, 2013 at 3:10PM ESTCrow3711
February 28, 2013 at 1:43PM EST Reply to CommentProbably shouldn't talk on this, but I saw a screening of Gravity about two months ago. It is more magnificent than you're even hoping it will be. Even unfinished its one of my favorite movies I've ever seen. I am itching for the chance to pay to see it again.
JJ1 Niiiice
February 28, 2013 at 1:58PM ESTMykill Oh man this is good news! :^D
February 28, 2013 at 2:43PM ESTKristopher Tapley OMG can't wait. Probably at the top of my list.
February 28, 2013 at 3:11PM ESTMatthew Starr Gravity and Twelve Years a Slave are 1A and 1B for me in terms of what I am looking forward to this year.
February 28, 2013 at 4:06PM ESTVoland Nice to hear. Have to watch "Children of Men" again, one of the greatest ever.
February 28, 2013 at 4:31PM ESTChristine Ahhhhh cannot wait! Children of Men was one of my favorite films of the '00s.
February 28, 2013 at 9:56PM ESTPaul How were the performances?
March 1, 2013 at 12:03AM ESTJJ1
February 28, 2013 at 2:00PM EST Reply to CommentFor actress, the only one I see right now as a likely contender is Watts as Diana because it looks incredibly baity and shell have so much goodwill from this year. Shes also shown a rejuvenated interest in the spotlight and/or campaigning.
Liz She's the only one? Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock, Emma Thompson, Marion Cotillard, Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, and Jessica Chastain all look like they have solid roles coming up. And that's not even counting foreign players like Paulina Garcia and Berenice Bejo.
February 28, 2013 at 2:14PM ESTIf nothing else, this year will hopefully not be one of those "best actress is weak" years, since there are so many performances that look like contenders on paper and in high-profile projects.
Mykill I personally feel like this year snuffed out the "best actress category is weak" complaints with the final nominations but I do remember there were a lot of concerns in the fall with what would actually be nominated. But just looking ahead at the possibilities for 2013, I really can't imagine that this year could turn out to be a lackluster one for female performances. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the Academy continues nominating some outside-the-box people like Emmanuelle Riva and Quvenzhané Wallis from this year. I hope it wasn't just a fluke and that we get some more worthy foreign/young/old actresses in the final five again.
February 28, 2013 at 2:42PM ESTZack
February 28, 2013 at 2:12PM EST Reply to CommentI'm pretty excited for "The Fifth Estate"; the suits definitely seem like they're betting that they can make "fetch" happen with Benedict Cumberbatch this year, which I'm fine with just because I became resigned to the fact that "Sherlock" will not have a third season this decade a long time ago.
msd
February 28, 2013 at 4:09PM EST Reply to CommentMalick? It's hard to know what to focus on, though. He seems to have so many balls in the air ....
Kristopher Tapley
February 28, 2013 at 4:13PM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...FYI, other films that were considered, just so that air is clear:
"Frances Ha" (Noah Baumbach) - Sony Classics
"Dallas Buyers Club" (Jean-Marc Vallée) - no distributor
"Malavita" (Luc Besson) - Relativity
"Blood Ties" (Guillaume Canet)
"Knight of Cups" (Terrence Malick) - no distributor
"I'm So Excited" (Pedro Almodóvar) - Sony Classics
"Only God Forgives" (Nicolas Winding Refn) - RADiUS-TWC
"Nightingale" (James Gray) - Weinstein
"Her" (Spike Jonze) - no distributor
"Venus in Fur" (Roman Polanski) - no distributor
"The Place Beyond the Pines" (Derek Cianfrance) - Focus
"The Butler" (Lee Daniels) - Weinstein
"Blue Jasmine" (Woody Allen) - Sony Classics
"Man of Steel" (Zack Snyder) - Warner Bros.
"Star Trek Indo Darkness" (J.J. Abrams) - Paramount
"Elysium" (Neill Blomkamp) - Universal
Bill Was the David O Russell Untitled Abscam Project considered or is the general consensus that it won't make the 2013 slate?
February 28, 2013 at 5:07PM ESTKate I could be wrong, but I thought that Malick was considering Knight of Cups and the untitled Austin project to be companion films & would try to release them around the same time. He finished shooting in Austin mid-November, so I wouldn't expect those to pop up until 2014.
February 28, 2013 at 5:57PM ESTKristopher Tapley I don't quite believe the Russell film will make it out this year, so I didn't really consider it.
February 28, 2013 at 8:58PM ESTKate: I'll defer to you. Hadn't heard.
Bob Goldman
February 28, 2013 at 4:51PM EST Reply to CommentWhat are you think about Only God Forgives, guys?
Mykill I know I am excited about it, but I really doubt it will be much of an Oscar contender (outside of maybe a crafts category or two.) I have a feeling it might make an appearance at Cannes this year to follow the similar path that Drive previously took.
February 28, 2013 at 5:13PM ESTHoustonRufus I was just going to ask this. My #1 anticipated movie of the year, since I loved Drive so much.
March 1, 2013 at 4:43PM ESTloveantinoo
February 28, 2013 at 6:12PM EST Reply to CommentOn the 'Rush' comment, Kristopher Tapley wrote Daniel Brühl will also appear on 'The Monuments Men'. I guess he wanted to write 'A Most Wanted Man', by Anton Corbijn, not the Clooney's film.
Kristopher Tapley Indeed I did. Weird.
February 28, 2013 at 8:59PM ESTTime Capsule
February 28, 2013 at 7:00PM EST Reply to CommentYou guys should re-post last year's list to see how many ended up being serious contenders and how many went nowhere.
I seem to recall everyone that made one of these lists last year expecting big things for Hyde Park on Hudson.
As for this year's list, the one lock is that Guy will love Grace of Monaco.
Guy Lodge Hmmm, I'm not so confident! Olivier Dahan has some self-redeeming to do.
February 28, 2013 at 8:33PM ESTTime Capsule How often do you dislike a Nicole Kidman movie?
February 28, 2013 at 10:24PM ESTGuy Lodge As often as she makes a bad one: Nine, Trespass, The Invasion, Bewitched, etc. Admiring an artist doesn't entail liking all their choices.
February 28, 2013 at 11:19PM ESTAaron The critics will be coming at this one with their knives. Get ready to hear a million complaints about how Kidman looks too "botoxed" to play Grace Kelly.
February 28, 2013 at 11:54PM ESTP.s. what about The Railway Man with Kidman, Colin Firth, and Jeremy Irvine? That looks like Oscar-porn if there ever was one. Or will The Monuments Men be the WWII-designated player this year?
JJ1 I'll never understand the botox wrap with Kidman.
March 1, 2013 at 12:13AM ESTI see wrinkles all over her face. The only thing that seems apparent with her is the upper lip that she had done many years ago.
I think shes a stunning woman and a great actress.
christine
February 28, 2013 at 10:02PM EST Reply to CommentSo excited. Another promising year for moviegoers.
Some Guy
March 1, 2013 at 1:19AM EST Reply to Comment"Will Martin Scorsese's move to digital go over well with the Academy?"
Hugo seemed to go over pretty well.
Kristopher Tapley That should have said "continued." :)
March 1, 2013 at 1:54AM ESTSome Guy
March 1, 2013 at 1:24AM EST Reply to CommentDefinitely a solid looking slate of "prestige" films this year. One can only hope that many of them manage to live up to expectations
msd
March 1, 2013 at 7:02AM EST Reply to CommentMia Wasikowska and Cate Blanchett in Carol, the adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Price of Salt. I believe it's shooting about now so I'm not sure if it will be a 2013 release or not but it's a great story with a great cast.
Authorized
March 3, 2013 at 3:05AM EST Reply to CommentAn Interesting bit of news on Long Walk to Freedom. The screenwriter William Nicholson was interviewed on BBC Radio this week and revealed he'd watched the final cut of the movie minus the score. To say he was positive about the movie would be an understatement. He described it as masterful,the film of 2013 and predicted he and the filmmakers would be at the Oscars next year.
Harvey has now positioned the movie for a Thanksgiving release following the path of his 2 previous winners so he likely was fairly impressed as well.
I was somewhat sceptical of the director Justin Chadwick but his background is similar to that of Tom Hooper prior to The King's Speech with acclaim for his TV work so this could be the real deal.
Paul
March 6, 2013 at 1:06PM EST Reply to CommentIf I had to spit-ball outrageous guesses for next year, they would probably look a bit like this:
Best Picture:
August: Osage County
Before Midnight
The Fifth Estate
Foxcatcher
Gravity
Labor Day
Nebraska
Out of the Furnace
Saving Mr. Banks
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Directing:
Richard Linklater, “Before Midnight”
Bill Condon, “The Fifth Estate”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”
Jason Reitman, “Labor Day”
Best Actor:
Steve Carrell, “Foxcatcher”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Fifth Estate”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Twelve Years a Slave”
Michael B. Jordan, “Fruitvale”
Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”
Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Serena”
Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”
Kate Winslet, “Labor Day”
Best Supporting Actor:
Casey Affleck, “Out of the Furnace”
Daniel Bruhl, “The Fifth Estate”
Michael Fassbender, “Twelve Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Channing Tatum, “Foxcatcher”
Best Supporting Actress:
Cameron Diaz, “The Counselor”
Rachel McAdams, “A Most Wanted Man”
Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”
Octavia Spencer, “Fruitvale”
Robin Wright, “A Most Wanted Man”
I'm not sure what it says about me that I get excited about making predictions in March.
Paul P.S. Love this site. The coverage you guys do is impeccable.
March 6, 2013 at 1:07PM EST